The United States and India have begun to lay the foundation for a defense relationship that could decisively shape stability and security within the Indo-Pacific region. This formal engagement should continue at a pace that is, in modification of naval parlance, steady as they go.

At the same time, the challenge for both sides now is to focus on removing bureaucratic and policy obstacles in order to unlock the strategic value of this partnership. Doing so would help set the conditions for a secure environment so that the Indo-Pacific region can achieve its full potential as the economic, trade, and innovation engine for the 21st century.

As an emerging power that the U.S. hopes to look upon as a net provider of security in the Indo-Pacific region, India’s national security decision-making apparatus needs to keep pace with its global ambitions. Despite modest progress in implementing defense reforms, many systemic weaknesses and structural shortcomings remain. In our latest Issue Perspective, Adjunct Fellow Brigadiar (Ret’d) Gurmeet Kanwal examines recent attempts to address some of these deficiencies including the Chandra Committee report.